End clamp for pocketbook handles



June 9, 1953 n. l. REITER END CLAMP F OR POCKETBOOK HANDLES Filed Sept. 26, 1950 nventor aml I Relier Gttomeg Patented .une 9, 1.953

UN I o STATE s PATENT eerie-e -END "CLAMP Fi'OR `--POCKE'IHO'('IK HANDEES "DaxiieLInReiter, N ewY ork, N Y.

Application September 26, 1950,"Sea1N0.I86,875

LThis invention relates to the means forsecuring to a pocket book, the end of alhandle'or strap and relates particularly to clamps` designed to be attached tothe handle end.

`Womens pocket booksare generally 'made with an exposed facingsheet,a'reinforcing or stifening sheet i or 'the inner surface of the facing sheet andan inner lining sheet covering the stiifening sheet andV concealing the various interior fastening devices and the'like. `Handlescfor the pocket book are made in a. considerable varietyof different cross sectional shapes and are frequently loosely securedto 'the facing and stiiieningsheets bypassing the 'end'portion 'of the handlethrough slots in said sheets before the `lining `is secured in place, and employing some lmeans for preventing thehandle "endfrom being retracted back back through 'the slots.

The present invention redirected particularly tothe means attachable "to the 'conceal-ed end ofthe handle of the 'pocket book 'for preventing retraction of such end, and-'contemplates the provision of a simple, inexpensive metallic vclamp adapted to receive han'dleends ci a'. considerable variety of diiferentfcross sectional fshapesand `to be quickly and easily clamped to `su-ch end, and When so clamped, 4being effective for the life of the pocket -bookand Vnot likely to loosen or to become detached.

The invention further conternplatesthe provision of a one-piece metallic `handlelend clamp of flat sheet material having .an enlarged head serving Vthe function-of a yWasher to engagethe inner surface of thestfiening sheet ofithe pocket book and `h'avingra Vslot thereinof such shape as to permit the passage therethrough ,of .handles of .any of theusual shapes, a pair of 4manually bendalole spacedv apart clamping arms "being `car'- ried by an extension from the enlarged head,and in position to engage and hold the end of :a handle passed through the slot against movement toward the slot or relatively tothe clamp.

The invention .also contemplates .thezprovision orf-an end clamping installationior .the pocket book handle-of dependable, inexpensive `and effoient construction `designed to Abe quickly .rand easily assembledv regardless of thefcross sectional shapeof the-handle.

The various.` .objects Yof the invention will Lbe clear from the description which follows, .and from the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a-perspective View of the 'handle end clamp.

Fig. '2 is afragmentaryfr'ear eleva-tional fviewi of the handle A end installation` before `tlie lininghas f2 been secured in place, showing the endportion of -a relatively 'flat 4lrandleyas Well as the-adjacent slotted lpart of the pocket book -wall 4and a slightly modiiied form of theclamp.

I1ig.-'3is a. side elevational View Aof Fig. '2.

Fig. 4 is va top plan A'vievv oi Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1 is shovvna'now preferred form of the one-piece clamp I 0 which 'is preferablymade of sheet metal and provided with the enlarged slotted head H, the middle downwardly projecting extension or connecting 'part l2 of lesser Width than that of the head, -and-theoutstanding similar spaced apart -vbelidao'lefarms i3 land 14 :at the lower endof and at lthe 4respvexztive -side edges I5 and v'I6 yof ythe extension and Y-he'ld by the extension in spaced 4relation to -the head. Said 'head H -is 'sufficiently Wide to permit the passage through the vtransversely elongated portion loi the generallyH -shapedslot -Vl in ysaid head, Aof ya handle or str-apend v'of Athe greatest Width Which-isflikelyto befuse'd 'in a. pocketbook, such as the relatively Widev and l'thinhandle 'I`9 seen in-Figsaand "4. The'head H performs A the function of afwasher, since `it'-'loears against the inner faceof the ypocketpc-nok wall.

To aceommodatehandles-of other shapes, the slot -H hasa centralcircularor eliipticalorthe like 'cut out -20-ot greater width than thatrof the Slot portion i8 -for vthe passage of .handles 'of circularorfpolygonal cross-sectional shape, upright `rectang-mar,end .slots .22., 2 3 being ,made at the respective lends A,of the slot portion 118. Said `Send slots Vpermit the passage or :handles Withenlarged-edge Vbeads of 'various shapesrfthereon. When 4the ,handle :is of elliptical Vcross .seotion, fit maybe passed through thefcentralslot portion 20 andzmay'extendpartly iintothe portion -I8 of the-slot.

Referring to ".FigsQ-A, it Willbe notedlthatithe end part 24 of the handle 3159 through a correspondingly shaped slot 25 in the :wall '-2'! ofthe pocketbook andthenithroughtheslot I? ofthe-fendfclamp. Said clamrpfisarranged ion :the insidefoi the Wallin preferably with itsislot Il in registration with the slot or hole S25.. .Said pooketlbookwa'fllsis usually :formed'by the outer or exposed fac-ing sheet 28 `of leather, imitation leather, plastic, fabric f or 'like A-rnater-ial and the stiffenin-g sheet 3259 fof suitable reinforcing material 'such asibu'ckram,fcardboard erit'ne like, cemented to .thesinn'er tace fof Ith'efacing she-et 32o and forminga unitarywa-lltherewith. ,'ofclamp the'end partfofthe'fhandle' in placawsaid part is arranged v'-betWeen `the :initially :parallel :arms f8 V'and ill and against-thaliana fof the 'extension I2, said end part Ipreferably projecting downwardly a short distance past the lower edges of the arms. One arm as I3 is then bent manually or mechanically by a, suitable tool about the corner 30 at the intersection of the arm and the extension into pressed contact with the end part of the handle, thereby to fold or compress and clamp said end part against the lowermost part of the extension. The other ami I4 is similarly bent against the handle end to clamp it in place. Preferably, the arms are long enough to overlap when bent as best seen in Fig. 4, each arm being of greater length than the half width of the extension, To render the bending of the arms around the strap end easier, the free end portion of each arm tapers inwardly as at 3l toward the other arm and is arranged at an angle to the remainder of the arm and to the extension, the major .part of the arm being initially substantially perpendicular to the common plane of the extension I2 and the head II.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 2-4, the end edges 32 of the arms I3, I4 are straight. Howevery in that form shown in Fig. l, the end portions 3I of the arms terminate in sharp points as 33 formed by the concave free end edge 34 of the arm, so that when the arms are suitably bent, the points 33 may grip the material of the handle. In Fig. 1 also, the corners 36 of the head II are bevelled, while in Fig. 2 the corners are shown rounded. Obviously, tension on the handle pulls the clamp I against the stiffening sheet into a position wherein the slot IT of the clamp registers with the slot or hole 25 of the Wall 21. Thereafter, the end part 24 of the handle is maintained by the clamping arms I3, I4 and the extension I2 in predetermined spaced relation to the slots and cannot be pulled up toward or through the slots. The clamp I0 and the handle end part 24 are then covered and concealed by a suitable lining in a manner which is well understood.

It will now be seen that I have lprovided a simple, economical but eflicient clamp for the ends of pocket book handles, that by reason of the use of a generally H-shaped slot and the central cut out therein, the clamp is adapted to receive handles of a variety of cross sectional shapes, that the clamp is quickly and easily secured to the handle end and holds said end in predetermined spaced relation to the slot, that the clamp head effectively prevents retraction of the handle end and that the invention though simple, is well designed to accomplish its intended purposes and for commercial production, and use.

While certain specific forms of the invention have herein been shown and described, various obvious changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A one-piece sheet metal clamp for the end of a pocket book handle, said clamp comprising an enlarged flat head of greater width than the height thereof provided with an H-shaped slot extending from a point adjacent one side edge of the head to a point adjacent the other side edge of the head and having a central enlarged circular cut out in the slot of substantially the height of the end portions of the slot, said head constituting a fiat washer having generally straight parallel side edges, a flat extension coplanar with the head and of reduced width integrally joined at one end thereof to an end edge of the head and a pair of spaced apart arms each extending integrally from an edge of and at the other end of the extension, each of the arms having the inner part thereof perpendicular to the plane of the extension and 4parallel to the other arm and having the other part thereof arranged at an obtuse angle to the inner part and adapted to be bent toward and into a position substantially parallel to the extension, each arm being of greater length than half the width of the extension to overlap the outer Ipart of the other arm when the arms are bent into said position.

2. The clamp of claim 1, the outer part of each arm terminating in a concave side edge and providing spaced apart points at the intersections of the side and end edges of the arm adapted to enter and to grip a soft flexible article arranged between the arms when the arms are bent into said position.

3. A one-piece sheet metal clamp for the end of a pocket book handle, said clamp comprising an enlarged flat head of greater width than the height thereof provided with an H-shaped slot extending from a point adjacent one side edge of the head to a point adjacent the other side edge of the head, said head having an enlarged central circular cut out in the slot thereof of substantially the height of the end portions of the slot, said head constituting a flat washer having generally straight parallel side edges, a flat extension coplanar with the head and of reduced width integrally joined at one end thereof to an end edge of the head and projecting therefrom, and a pair of spaced apart arms each extending integrally from a side edge 0f and at the other end of the extension, each of the arms having the inner part thereof substantially perpendicular to the plane of the extension and substantially parallel to the other arm and having the remaining part thereof arranged at an obtuse angle to the inner part and adapted to be bent toward the other arm and providing an initially pre-bent end clamping part on the arm, said clamping part of each arm terminating in a concave side edge, the prolongation of the concave side edge intersecting the end edges of the arm and providing spaced apart points at the intersection of the side edge with the end edges of the arm, said points being adapted to grip an undistorted handle end passing through the slot of the head and arranged between the arms and on a face of said extension when the arms are bent toward each other.

4. A one-piece sheet metal clamp for the end of a pocket book handle strap, said clamp comprising a strap-receiving end, said strap-l'eceiv` ing end consisting of a fiat head having an aperture of a configuration complemental to the cross-sectional shape of the strap formed therethrough, said head constituting a fiat washer, a flat extension coplanar with the head integrally joined at one end to a portion of the outer edge of the head, and projecting therefrom, said extension having opposing side edges, a pair of arms laterally extending in confronting relation from the side edges of the extension adjacent the outer end thereof, and spaced apart sufficiently to receive the strap end when said strap end is moved axially between the arms on the extension after being passed through the aperture in the head, said arms being arranged substantially perpendicular to the plane of the extension and having offset outer free ends which are turned inwardly toward each other and arranged at an obtuse angle to the arms, said ends having free transverse edges formed with penetrating prongs.

adapted to engage the strap end when the arms are bent toward each other onto the stran end.

5. A clamp according to claim 4, wherein the conguration and size of the aperture in the head conforms generally to the cross-sectona1 shape and size of the strap and the edge of the aperture engages the strap end passed therethrough, without materia-1 deformation of the oross-see tional shape and size of the strap 6. A clamp according to claim 4, wherein for the end of any number of pocketbook handle straps differing in the cross-sectional shapes thereof, the configuration of the aperture con forms generally to said shapes and at least part o the edge or the aperture engages the strap end of any one of said straps :passed therethrough unobstructedly and without material deformeton of the strap end.

7. A clamp according to claim 4, wherein at least part of the edge of the aperture is circular.

DANIEL I. REITER.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number 20 315,623 

